Nostalgia Waltz
by Little Swan
Summary: I changed the Title of this story (Originally called The Ghosts of the Past). This is a romance between Kurt and an OC. Kurt is haunted by her memory. Takes place before X2 and in some points of the story after X2.
1. Waltz of the Masks

Nostalgia Waltz

This is really more of a romance, I might put a lemon scene in later if I'm really bored. Well let me tell you a little bit about the story. It takes place before Kurt meets up with the X-Men. He escaped from Alkali Lake and is on the run when he meets and Original Character of mine named Cecilia and falls in love with her. In spite of her obviously well known name, she fails to see anything wrong with Kurt and sees him as a person, not a mutant. This part is told from Kurt's perspective. The second part takes place right after the X-2 movie. I shall say no more! You must read! 

Chapter 1: Waltz of the Masks

Beads of dew hung on every leaf in the garden of the mansion. As the sun's beams touched the earth, a radiant glow illuminated from every drop. The smell of morning was in the air and the promise of a new day was upon the world. The mansion doors opened and out stepped a man who's appearance was demonic, yet in his eyes all the love of the world could be seen. He carried with him what appeared to be a prayer book and a white rose. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he descended the steps of the mansion and set out to the most private part of the gardens. 

He passed through a myriad of flowers and trees to a small stone bench, nestled between two tall cherry trees. The cherry blossoms were in bloom and had begun to fall off of the trees, leaving a sheet of pale pink flowers on the bench. Brushing them off, he sat down and laid the rose in his lap. 

Taking out his prayer book, he opened it to a page with a Latin prayer printed on it and clutching his cross in his hand he began to read. "Requiem aeternam, donnaeis domine, et lux perpetua...." What seemed like hours passed him by before the prayer was done. He closed the book and put it back into his coat pocket. Taking the rose in his hand, he stood up and gazed towards the horizon and the sun that was climbing through the trees and making it's way to the sky. 

He swallowed to fight back the hurt he felt inside. "God, if you could ever find it in your heart to forgive me for what I let be taken from this world..." He trailed off before he could finish. Perhaps because it hurt him so to speak, or perhaps because he could not think of what to say. "I miss you, you know. I miss seeing you smile, I miss hearing you sing, I miss watching you dance from the dark. I want for nothing more than to be free of you. But I accept this as my punishment for letting you die..." He placed the rose on the bench and heaved a heavy sigh. "Goodbye, Angel." 

~*~

Marie rushed through the halls towards the Professor's office. Her alarm hadn't gone off so she was running a little late. 'Thank God the bell hasn't rang yet.' She thought. She trotted down the stares and turned round the corner. She was puzzled to find that all of the students, including Kitty Pride, were waiting outside the door to their philosophy class.

"Kitty, what's going on?" Asked Marie. Kitty leaned against the wall, holding her books in her arms. "I don't know. The Professor said he needed to speak with that blue guy in private. I wonder what he's done?" Said Kitty. Marie set her books on the side table next to the door and pressed her ear against the thin barrier between them and the Professor. The other students sat quietly and waited for Marie to tell them what she could hear. 

As the bell rang, the Professor opened the door. Marie stumbled forward and caught herself on the armrest of his wheelchair. Quickly gathering herself, she stood up and backed a step away. The Professor smiled and looked at his watch. "This is going to take some time. I'm not sure how long, but I don't think we'll be meeting for class this morning. However I'd like you all to come after your last class this afternoon to make it up. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, but there are pressing matters to attend to right now." 

Without another word, he turned his chair around and closed the door behind him. Marie picked up her books off of the side table and started back towards her dorm room. "Hey Marie, where are you going?" Asked Kitty. Marie turned around at the stares. "I'm a mess. I need to go do something with my hair." She said, and slowly descended the stairs back towards her room.

~*~

The Professor moved his chair around to his desk. "Kurt, I saw you walking in the gardens this morning. I know it's been a big change settling here but I wonder if there is something else on your mind? Now, I respect your privacy so I haven't gone through your mind for the answer. The truth is, I'd rather hear what it is directly from you." He said. 

Kurt was sitting next to the window looking out at the garden below. He stood still; he didn't even look at the Professor. "This date is significant to you. Why?" He asked. Kurt still didn't answer. "Kurt, I cannot help you if you will not tell me." The Professor's tone was firm this time. Kurt looked at him. He could see now the concern in his eyes. 

"I do not want to say it more than once...perhaps it would be better if Ororo and the others were here as well." Said Kurt. The Professor nodded and in a matter of moments Ororo, Logan, Marie, Bobby, and Scott entered the room. "Now then, do you mind explaining what it is that's on your mind?" Asked the Professor. Kurt sat down next to the window, tilting his chin up so he could still look outside. 

"Her name was Cecilia Zertuche. She was a ballerina and she had the most beautiful voice. When she danced, it felt like a dream, and when she sang...all who heard her would cry for they truly believed that they would never hear anything more beautiful. She was 19 years old when I met her, an American girl." Said Kurt.

"And what happened to her?" Asked Ororo, placing her hand on Kurt's shoulder. His lip trembled and he clutched his hands into fists. "She died. For my sake...she died." 

The room fell silent. They had always assumed that his life was in many ways tragic, but they'd never imagined that a woman -whom he saw as nothing less than God's brightest Angel- had sacrificed herself so that he could live. "That was two years ago today...she'd be 21 now if she were still alive. I know it seems strange. She was 10 years younger than I after all...well that doesn't matter now."

Kurt stood up and leaned his head against the window. He did not look at his friends, perhaps because he didn't have the courage to see the pity that they might've had in their eyes. He did not want pity for his sins. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing to them the three largest and most elaborate of his scars. 

"All three of these are for her." He said. "Why three?" Asked Bobby. Kurt finally looked into their faces and swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "One for each bullet." 

"What happened between the two of you Kurt?" Asked the Professor. His long blue tail swished back and forth between his feet. "I had just escaped from Alkali Lake. It was not easy and I didn't escape scratch free. I don't know how I had the strength to get there; I had lost a lot of blood. But I had teleported to New York City. Into the very theatre where "The Phantom of the Opera" was being rehearsed. 

I'd found my way onto the catwalk, and that's when I saw her for the first time. The lights shined down on her as she sang and danced across the stage. Suddenly it was like the world didn't exist and I wasn't dying. It was only her. I forgot about the blood escaping me...until her song ended and I was thrown cruelly back to Earth. The rehearsal had ended, after many congratulations from other actors, they scrambled off the stage until she was the only one left. Somehow, I knew that those men were here, that they'd found me. How they arrived so quickly, I do not know. The one thing I knew was that she was in danger.

I had to get to her, I had to warn her. If she would not listen then perhaps she would at least be frightened enough by my appearance to run away. I had stumbled down the stairs, I couldn't see well, I knew I didn't have much time before I would collapse. It seemed like it took me hours to get to the stage, perhaps she'd be gone by the time I got there. By some luck, as I ascended the steps to the stage, I found that she was still there, going through some sort of ballet routine. It didn't take her long to catch sight of me. I thought 'good, now she'll run away.' But she didn't...her face held no horror. She could see that I was bleeding, that's for sure, because she tried to approach me. Before I blacked out, I told her to stay back...and to run away." 

"I'm not sure what happened after that, it's all a blur for sometime. It felt like I would never wake...when I came to, I couldn't see much, the room was dim. The sweet smell of roses and jasmine filled my head. I could feel the soft blankets against me. The pleasantries of the room quickly escaped my mind as the pain from my wounds became annoyingly apparent. 

I couldn't think of anything else until I could hear light footsteps to my side. I turned in the bed to see her standing in the entrance to the room. She was holding a tray with some linen bandages and some sort of liquid in a cup. I could see some alcohol swabs and antibiotics as well. I couldn't understand it...why was she here? And where was I? She smiled and walked over to my side of the bed, setting the tray down on a side table with a lamp and a small box of some kind. 

"You shouldn't move, you were hurt pretty badly. Don't worry, I had my friend Dr. McCoy look at you. He promised he wouldn't tell anyone that you're here. You're safe." She said. Her voice was gentle, it had a string of sincerity in it that made me believe her. "Where am I?" My throat was so dry it hurt to ask. I tried to sit up but she eased me back onto the pillow. 

"Try not to move. You've got a bit of a fever, so just relax. You're in my home, but that doesn't matter right now, we'll talk more later, just rest." She lifted my head off of the pillow and pressed the cup from the tray to my lips, pouring the liquid it contained down my throat. It was some sort of tea, my throat was so dry it ached to swallow but somehow it's taste relaxed me and I laid back onto the pillow. I could feel sleep trying to take me but I had to know her name before I succumbed to it. 

"What's your name?" She smiled and wrapped her small fingers around mine. "Cecilia, Cecilia Zertuche. What's yours?" Her eyes were beautiful...a deep reddish brown, as beautiful as they were intoxicating. "Kurt Wagner..." I wish I could've said more...but I couldn't fight sleep any longer. 

Alright! That's chapter 1! R&R please. If I don't get a whole lot of reviews, I probably won't continue this story. 


	2. Waltz of the Snowflakes

Well since I like this story enough, I'm going to go ahead and work on it some more. I'll do a little recap on the first chapter from where I left off. Cecilia saved Kurt from the soldiers after him and even got Hank McCoy to help her. Don't you love Cameo appearances? So now he's at her home recovering. Also I felt that the first chapter needed to be told from Kurt's perspective. For the most part it'll be written in third person from now on. 

That's all! On to Chapter 2! 

Chapter 2: Waltz of the Snowflakes 

The bell that ended first period rang. A mass of mutant children ran chattering to their lockers and on to their next class. Of course they had no teachers today, which seemed odd to them considering that the Professor valued education above all things. Whatever it was that was keeping them in his office, it must've been big. It was certain that they never would've expected that he and the others were only examining their new history teacher's past. 

When Kurt had come to the school, the Professor could see that he very much valued history and was suited best to teach it. He did a good job too. Often times the professor would hear students discussing Gandhi's Legacy in their free time. Surely they were curious about what was being said behind that office door, but they respected the Professor and their teachers far too much to invade their privacy. 

As the tardy bell rang, the halls became quiet once more. Inside the office, the professor and the others waited for Kurt to continue. Realizing that there were no more disruptions from the outside, he thought for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts again. 

'Ah yes...' He thought. "I don't know how much time passed between that first night and when I awoke again. I'd had a horrible nightmare about her. It had death and pain as it's major elements. I awoke in a horrible shock. It must've been at least 2 or 3 days since I learned her name, the wounds were beginning to mend. I couldn't remember anything after that night. For a moment, I had trouble recalling where I was. But that's right, I was here with her. With Cecilia. Where was she? Did they take her away? Did they find out she saved me and...I got worried, I had to find her. I didn't want to think that the nightmare was true."

~*~

Kurt stood on the top of a building overlooking Rockefeller center. Snowflakes gently fell to the ground over the skating ring. Cecilia was there, skating, her scarf waving in the wind. Kurt smiled down at her, he always liked to watch her. His smile quickly faded when he noticed many of the men that were chasing him before, surround the ice ring. He quickly teleported down to where Cecilia was, but not soon enough. The men had opened fire. He couldn't see her, no matter how hard he tried to find her. All he could see was ice stained red and bullets passing by him and all he could hear was the firing of guns and innocent screams. 

His eyes shot open and he let a fearful groan escape his lips. Sweat rolled down his brow and his chest heaved frantically. 'It was just a dream.' He thought, as he sighed in relief. Looking around the room, he noticed a glass door leading to a balcony. "That's all I need...some fresh air" he said to himself. 

He slowly stood up, using the bed boards for support. There was an unignorable ache in his left thigh. That's right, those men had shot him in the leg in an attempt to demobilize him. It didn't hurt enough to unbearable, so he did his best to ignore it and continued towards the balcony. It could've been worse...at least he lived. 

Upon reaching the door, he slid it open and stepped out. He leaned against the railing of the balcony and looked out at the city below. It was obviously a well off neighborhood. Not quite park avenue, but close. The city lights were quite visible from being so high up. It was beautiful. 

'They could be out there somewhere...what if they're looking for me? She won't be safe...I have to leave here as soon as I can.' he thought. Something wet hit his nose. He looked up and saw a blanket of white gently falling to the ground. It was so quiet from up there you could almost hear the snow fall. 

"You just broke your fever, you don't wanna bring it back by catching cold out here do you?" Kurt turned around to see Cecilia leaning casually against the door. Her hair was pulled back in a bun and she was dressed in dance attire. He assumed that she'd just returned from a practice. She smiled and stepped out onto the balcony. "Kurt right?" she asked. He nodded and shyly looked away from her, pretending to focus his attention on the city. "Are you hungry?" Asked Cecilia, leaning her head over the railing slightly, trying to make him look at her. 

~*~ 

Kurt sat on the couch in the living room next to a roaring fire in the fireplace. There were Christmas stockings hung above it along with a finely carved nativity scene neatly arranged on the mantle. A tree was decorated in the corner and a few gifts were neatly wrapped under it. The living room and kitchen had no wall between them. Neither did the Dining Area. He could see Cecilia anywhere she was so long as she stayed in this area. This put Kurt at ease for awhile and he laid his head back against the top of the couch in an effort to relax. 

Cecilia was in the kitchen tenderizing what looked to be chicken with a mallet. "I noticed that you have a cross. Did you make it yourself?" She asked. Kurt didn't notice it was gone until she asked and searched through his pockets to find it. She noticed that he was concerned about it's whereabouts. She stopped what she was doing and walked over to the table. She took it in her hand and walked over to where Kurt was sitting. He hadn't noticed what she was doing until she was in front of him. 

She held it up in front of him and smiled that chaste way that she had always smiled at him. "It had a lot of blood on it. So I washed it off for you." She said. He slowly held out his hand, letting her drop it into his palm. Clutching it in his palm he stared at for a moment or two. 'Why am I here?' He thought. 'God, do you have a greater purpose behind my being here...with her?' He couldn't bring himself to look at her, he was always afraid that he would see disgust in her eyes for his appearance. 

She sat down next to him, resting her hands on her knees. "You didn't answer my question." She said. "What?" he asked, hesitant to take his eyes off the cross. Cecilia arched her eyebrows, confused but also intrigued by his gestures. 'Well he's different from any other man I've met, that's for sure. He seems afraid to look at me or speak to me.' She thought. "Why would someone be afraid to look another person in the eyes or speak to them?" she asked. Kurt looked up at her, still avoiding looking her in the eyes. She regretted asking the question for he looked as if she'd just poured salt on his injuries. 

She stood up and headed back to the kitchen. "I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to ask you that. It's just that I'm not used to men like you, but still, you shouldn't feel inferior to me or anybody else." She said, taking the mallet in her hand. "Yes." he said quietly. Cecilia turned from her work again, seemingly forgetting what she had asked him about earlier. "Yes I-I did make this." He said, finally finding the courage to look her in the eyes. She flashed a quick smile before turning back around. "It's beautiful." she said. 

~*~

Kurt had been really hungry since he woke up. He was thankful to discover that Cecilia was an excellent cook. After he'd eaten until he was full, Cecilia helped him back to the bedroom to look at his wounds. He swore he was okay but she insisted on looking at his wounds, just to make sure they were healing well. 

Unwrapping his leg was tough on Kurt. He hadn't realized just how sore he was until he felt cold air against the wounds. He bit his lip to keep from groaning. He really didn't want her to worry about him. "So tell me, why were those men after you?" Asked Cecilia. She was rather close to Kurt, attempting to get a good look at his injuries. Close enough to make him a bit nervous. He wasn't used to being so closed to anyone, least of all a woman. The material that made up the sleeve of her shirt brushed against his skin as she tended to the wound on his leg. It was made of some kind a satin or silk material and it felt good against his skin. 

"I'm not...exactly sure why they're doing this. But you see, I had been taken from my home in the Munich Circus. These men had threatened the other performers...telling them that they'd die if I didn't cooperate. What else could I do? I couldn't let them die...they were the only family that I'd ever known. My mother abandoned me as a baby, but the headmaster in the Circus took me in, gave me a name, gave me a home. So I went with them. They took me to this place with other mutants. They used to perform these experiments on the others...I used to fall asleep to their screams. I wish I could've saved them but they put some sort of device around my neck to keep me from teleporting." Cecilia glanced at him from the corner of her eye. 

"Oh...you're a teleporter?" she said. Kurt nodded. "Incredible!" Said Cecilia with a look of intrigue on her face. Kurt let out a slight laugh. "Yes. It's nothing really." He said. She sat up on the side of the bed, ignoring what she had been doing for a moment. "When you're better, will you show me?" Cecilia took his hand in her own. Again, Kurt was slightly startled by her actions. Not that he minded them at all. "Of course. I'll take you on a tour of the city. Though I'm sure that you know it better than I do." He said. She smiled. "I'd like that."

They just sat there together for what seemed like hours before Cecilia dashed back to his side, returning to the task at hand. Kurt was a little confused by her sudden actions. 'Why would she do that? What did I do to make her nervous like tha- oh...I see.' He laughed, noticing the blush that had appeared on her pale cheeks. He'd embaressed her! "So um...anyways...they'd taken you to some sort of prison right?" She asked in a soft voice. She'd finished taking care of his leg and had begun to wrap it in fresh bandages. 

"Oh, right. Well, while I was there, they never experimented on me. I don't know why...but for some reason, they'd never done anything to me. I used to ask God, 'Why them? Why would they hurt the others and not me? What did I do right that they did wrong?' The answer was simple enough. Because I could teleport, they used me to fight. They would use this serum of some sort. It burned through the back of my neck...it could control my actions. Whatever I was told to do...I had to do it...no matter how much I pleaded with myself." He paused. "So many innocent people died by my hand. I can still see their faces. I could hear their cries...but I could never find the strength that could stop me...for each one I killed...I would make one of these marks on myself...as a way to honor them and to repent for what I'd done." He said. 

Cecilia was by this time tending to the wounds on his torso. She sat up, looking him straight in the eyes before examining the marks on his face and arms, and the upper part of his chest. "There are so many..." she said, brushing her fingers over them. "Luck was on my side one night...the device on my neck had blew a fuse and was not functioning, so I was able to escape. I went searching for help, but they found me. So I had to run...they'd ambushed me in a garden in Central Park...I don't know how I managed to escape but as you can see it wasn't scratch free. I found my way into the theater where you are. I knew they were nearby and I didn't want them to hurt you. The other performers had already gone, but only you were left. So I went to the stage and tried to frighten you away....but you weren't afraid of me. The next thing I know, I'm here. I don't know why...but God allowed me to live, with a little help from you and your friend." 

She stood up, having finished looking over all his injuries and stretched. "Speaking of Hank, he'll be by tomorrow to look at you. Don't worry, he's a kind person and he's not one of 'those' types, so he won't tell anyone where you are. He even stayed over here and looked after you for me when I had to be at the theater. Thanks to him you're healing well." She said. "Thank you...for all that you've done for me." Said Kurt. "Don't mention it. You should rest for now though." She said, glancing outside at the sky. "I hadn't realized how late it was. It's already dark. You'll sleep in here again tonight okay?" Kurt stood up, using the wall to support himself. "No. It's alright, I'll sleep on the couch. I don't want to be an inconvenience." He said. Cecilia rested her hand on the bedpost. "An inconvenience?" she asked. Kurt nodded and began to limp slowly towards the door. Cecilia looked around the room, her lips trembling, looking for the words to say. She didn't mind his presence, in fact, she really liked it. How could he think of himself as an inconvenience? 

He opened the door. "Wait!" she shouted. His shoulders jerked and he turned around in surprise. She looked at the bed and back at him, and back to the bed again. "I-It's cold. I mean I...well I think we'd both be much more comfortable if we both slept in here." she said. Kurt was speechless. Thank God his skin was blue, otherwise, she would've seen him blushing. "That is, if you're okay with it." She said. 'Real slick Cecilia. You've embaressed him!' she thought to herself. 'She probably doesn't feel attracted to you anyways. Why would she? You're not worth it. It doesn't mean anything, so it's fine.' he thought and nodded. She sighed in relief. "Okay, I just have to change and then I'll be back." she said, turning the covers down, and heading towards the closet. She pulled out a black satin spaghetti strap night gown and went to the bathroom to change. 'Oh dear Lord..." thought Kurt. 

~*~

Emerging from the bathroom, she found Kurt sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. He had found his shirt and slipped it back on. She hadn't meant to make him this nervous. Seeing Cecilia in the short black night gown made him swallow a couple of times. She looked quite charming. Her legs were long and toned from years of dance, making them a firm perfect shape. Her ankles were beautiful as well in spite of her callused feet. Her waist was dainty and long like her legs. Her bust was rather large for a dancer, but not too big, keeping with her lean look. She was quite beautiful...no not JUST beautiful, she was sexy, and Kurt knew it perfectly well. 

She turned off the overhead lights, leaving only one of the bedside lamps on, giving her just enough light to see where she was going. She slipped under the covers and waited for Kurt to do the same before she turned out the light. He hesitantly slipped under the covers as well, putting as much distance between them as possible. He laid on his side, his back turned to Cecilia. She sighed before turning out the light and laying on her side, looking in his direction. She knew he was nervous about being in the same bed with her, but having spent the day talking with him, she also knew that he had been hurt many times before and that he needed someone to be there for him in life. She wanted to let him know that she could be there for him if he wanted her to be...but she didn't know how to. He was always so distant that she could never tell what it is he felt. A part of her said that he was afraid to get close to anyone and another part of her said that he had no interest in getting closer to her. She couldn't tell which was true though. One thing was for sure, he wasn't going to let her know. She had to find out for herself. 

The snow had been falling all day and well into the night. Through the sheer curtains covering the balcony doors, Kurt could see the snow falling. He could hear her behind him, breathing slowly. She obviously wasn't asleep. He'd wondered why. It was cold in the room in spite of the heater being on. He knew that she was probably cold as well and he knew how he could remedy that for her. It was the least he could do after all that she'd done for him. But he didn't want to risk upsetting her with unwanted contact either, so he laid still, looking out at the falling snow.

'Well, I guess it's now or never.' thought Cecilia. Kurt was rather startled by a small hand touching his shoulder. He turned over on his back and saw Cecilia leaning her head against her other hand. She stared at him for a moment before laying her head down on his chest, careful not to hurt him, as he was still wounded. She pulled her body close to his, her stomach and chest touching his side. "It's cold. We'll be warmer if we're together." she said, laying her hand on his left shoulder. Kurt shivered and breathed heavilly. He'd never had contact like this before and Cecilia could sense it. She of course had felt contact like this many times...but she'd never felt like this when she did before. "You don't have to be afraid." She whispered, tilting her chin so that her lips were in front of his elf-like ear. He suddenly stopped breathing hard and turned his gaze to meet hers. She could see the shock on his face. He really hadn't expected affection from her. She was too tired to think anymore about it. She nestled her forehead in the curve of his neck and closed her eyes. Her breathing was inconsistent for a few minutes and slowly became a steady flow against his chest. He could feel the heat from each breath she took through his shirt. He sighed and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, causing her to stir slightly in his grasp. 'She's so beautiful, even when she's sleeping.' He thought, lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing it. He smiled to himself, rather proud of his actions. It took a lot of courage on his part, and even more to say what he wanted to say. Even though she wouldn't hear him. "I think I love you..." he said before drifting off to sleep. 

Just so you guys know...the music that inspired the feel for this chapter was not only Waltz of the Snowflakes (thus the title) but also "Cora" from Last of the Mohicans. You might wanna listen to it while reading this chapter. You could probably figure where the music would fit. Yeah I know that's stupid so sue me! Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, I did say romance/drama and I think I lived up to that! 


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